Dental appliance



' APPLICATION FILED MAYI5, I920. 1,346,998.

T. H. VEALE. DENTAL APPLIANCE.

Patented July 20, 1920.

U'NlTED-STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT VEALE, 0F CAMP DEVENS, MASSACHUSETTS.

nEn'rAL APPLIANCE. I v

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ju1 2o,1920.

' Application filed May 15, 1920. Serial No. 381,689.

T 0 all whom it, may concern Be it known that I, vTHoMAs H. VEALE, acitizen of the United States,resid'ing at Camp Devens, in the State ofMassachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements inDental Appliances, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

- This invention relates to the art of dental appliances andparticularly to an improved impression Qtrayand an object is to providea. device of this kind especially adapted for Still another object is toprovide an impression tray, omprising inner and outer trays,=one to hesupported within the other and adapted-to: receive the: IIIIPIGSSIOII,ma-

terial, and so arranged with relation to each other as to provide athermal water g'acket or spacebetwee'n the two trays inorderv to receiveany amount of running hot, Warm,

crown and material, wherebyan impression can be cool or cold water whichis used for the purpose .of keeping the impression com pound or materialsoft and workable, and,

then to hardenithe same more quicklyi'n order to insure. that thematerial W1ll ltain the shape inwhich it has been molded.

' Inother words, the principle of circulating as, an ordinary impressiontray, where it is] not desired to use the principle of differentdifferent temperatures of water through the jacket. or space is tohasten or retard the hardening of thGjmPI'QSSlOII material, in otherwords to govern the degreeo-f hardening as the case may be. A furtherobject is to provldean'impression device or matrix .consisting ofinnerand outertra-ys and in which case the outer tray can be employed ifdesired by itself,

temperatures of water, but it' will be noted that the inner tray may beeasily and very quickly inserted-in the outer-tray. thereby transformingthe outer tray into an impres- -ent illustrated and set forth are deemedprefare comprehended sion device having the water jacket or space. It isobvious that the water jacket or cooling fluid receiving space principlemay be employed in connection with an impression tray for usein takingimpressions of the lower part of the mouth or the teeth thereof.

A still further object aims to provide an impression tray wherein innerand outer trays are employed, in combination with means adjacent theinterior part of the outer tray and the forward and posterior or palatalportion of the outer tray to support the inner tray in order to providethe surrounding water jacket or space.

Additionally the invention aims to provide 'a device of this kindwherein the pal- 'atal sifrface of the inner tray of the impres- -'-siondevice is supplied with a plurality of perforations, so that thecirculating, cooling fluid may contact direct with the impres-.

s'ion material such as modeling compound, plaster of Paris and the'like.

In the case of using beeswax or modeling compound as the impressionmaterial'it is the aim to employ the perforations", but when using theplaster of Paris, the perforations of the inner tray are eliminated, andalso'in such an instance the hardening of the plaster is retarded by theflow of cold water and hastened by the flowof hot' water. In using thebeeswax or modelirrg'compound with the perforations in the palatalsurface of the inner'tray it is the aimto' permit the cooling fluid tocome directly in contact with the impression material.

' \Vhile the design and construction at preserable, it is obvious thatas a result' of a re:

duction' of the invention to a more practical 'formfor commerc alpurposes, the invention may b e'suscepti-ble to changes, and the right Ito these changes is claimed, provided they is claimed. I

thescope of what I The'invention comprises further features andcombinationof parts; as'will be herein- I after set forth, shown in thedrawings and claimed- In thedrawingste I ure 1 is a perspective view ofthe inner tray of the'impressio'n device showing the same constructed inaccordance with. the invention,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the outer tray of the. impression devicelikewise constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 3 is a vice in which case the inner tray is mounted within theouter tray,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 3, showingthe water receiving jacket as it is formed toward either sidev of theimpression device,

Fig. 5' is a longitudinal sectional view showing the con- 'on line 55 ofFig. 3,

struction of the water jacket or space be-' tween the inner and outertrays at the center of the impression-device, v Fig. 6 is a view inelevation of the impression device showing the posterior or palatal edgeportion'of the device, and

Fig. 7 isa transverse sectional view on line 7-7 of F ig; 4, clearlyshowing the, palatal surface of the inner and outer trays.

Referring v to the drawings, 1 designates the impression device as awhole which comprises the inner and outer impression trays 2 and 3. Theouter impression tray is de-.

signed to be cast or drop forged in any suit able shape orconfiguration, preferably as shown, so as to fit and be properlyinserted 1n themouth for taking impressions and furthermore may beconstructed of any suitable material. he outer tray comprises a bottomand the side flanges 4. The bottom is constructed in the shape shown soas to provide a a surface that will substantially conform to the mouth,or a surface that will sub-- stantially conform to the mouth over the.surface of the tongue and near the palate in particular.

The flanges 4 are curved and gradually merge into the bottom or palatalsurface 5 and have theirupper edges formed intothe shape shown, thoughnot necessarily, for it is obvious that these flanges may be otherwiseconstructed. The

outer tray 3 has an anterior flange 6, which merges or blends graduallyinto the side flanges 4, the corners where the flanges 4 and theanterior flange 6 unite are, rounded or curved as shown at 7.

The inners'lfifaceof the anterior flange has an anterior rib 8, whiextends transversely of the flange 6 at a poin trifle below the uppermarginal edge of th flange, and is designed primarily for the s pport ofthe inner tray 2 as will be hereinafter explained. The forward portionof the bottom-of the outer tray on opposite sides of the palatal surface5 is downwardly curved and bulged as shown at 9 and where this partis-so constructed, the sides 4 of theouter tray gradually merge or curvethereinto, so as to provide a contour of tray which will not be awkardor uncomfortable in the mouth, or in plan view of th'e'impression de-'conforms to the palatal surface or able metallic material.

cast as may be desired.

flange. 14 as shown palatal surface 5, in other words,

-at 19. At the flange 6 and the palatal surface unite.

The inner tray 2 is' also designedto be constructed in one piece andlofany suittray is designed to be constructed by stamping or by means of adrrip forge method, or

he inner tray comprises the bottom, the two side flanges 13,

and the anterior flange 14. This anterior in plan view ofFig. 3-

conforms to the-anterior flange 6, though not necessarily for it isobvious that the, curvature may be varied if desired, as well as thecombination of the upper edges of the the flanges 13 and, the

flanges 13. Where anterior flange 14 gradually merge or curve into eachotherintegrally, such portions are rounded or curved off as shown at 15.

Furthermore the portions 16 where the the inner tray,

In fact, the inner 10, and merge into a posterioror I flanges 13 mergeinto the bottom of the inner,

tray are also rounded or curved off. The

bottom of-th'e inner treiy has its central longi- I tudinal portionbulge upwardly, gradually from the bottom of the anterior flange 14toward the posterior or palatal edge 17 so as to, provide a palatalsurface 18, and on each side of this palatal surface the bottom of theinner tray is bulged downwardly as shown point where the bulges 19(which extend longitudinally of the inner tray) the side flanges 13curve or merge thereinto. The bottom or palatal surface of the innertray as shown in Fig. 1 is pro-' vided with a plurality of perforations20. It is to be noted that when the inner tray is supported within theouter tray and the impression material such as 1 modeling compoundorplaster of Paris is placed in the device, the cooling fluid willcontact directly with the impression material, preferably when beeswax,modeling compound or like material is employed, for it is obvious thatwhen plasterof Paris is used, it is unwise to have the cooling. fluid tocontact directly with it. In this instance, it is to be noted that theperforations are to be eliminated as they are not shown in Fig. 7, eventhough Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 4. Y I

When the inner tray is placed in position within the outer tray, itsposterior or palatal edge 17 is supported upon the posterior or palatalledge of the posterior portion of the anterior rib 8 ofthe anteriorflangeyof the outer tray 6, thereby readily supporting the inner tray inposition. The inner tray is so supported by the anterior rib 8 and theposterior or palatal ledge 11 as to face the palatal surface 18 and theinner tray from the palatal surface orbottom of the outer tray, therebyproviding a water jacket or water receiving space 22. When the innertray is placed within the outer tray, the side" flanges 13 are soconstructed as to conform to the contour of the side flanges 4, in factall portions of these flanges engage as shown clearly in Figs. 6 and 7and since the anterior shoulder or groove of the flange 14 engagesuponthe anterior rib 8, and when the palatal edge of the bottom of theinner tray is in engagement with the rib 11, with the impressionmaterial on the interior of the inner tray, the two trays arehermetically sealed so as to prevent the escape of suitable coolingfluid that may be allowed to enter the water jacket or space 22. Theanterior flange 6 of the outer tray adjacent its opposite ends and nearthe bottom of the tray is providedwith a pair oftubular extensions 23and 24, to which rubber tubes 25 and 26 are connected as shown clearlyin Figs. 3

and 4.

By the use of hot water caused to be siphoned through the tube 25 intothe water jacket and,allowed to pass off through the tube 26, theimpression material may be maintained soft and workable and as thetemperature of water is changed for hastening the hardening of thematerial as desired,

the material will conform to the contour of the month. By causing coldwater to be siphoned through the tube 26 ina well known manner, thehastening of the hardening of the material may be facilitatedandincreased and in this case the cold water after circulating throughthe jacket will pass out through the tube 25.

'It will be noted that the sides of the in- 4 ner and outer trays andthe interior shoulchance of the escape of water.

compound or other impression material, andwill facilitate the actionupon the material,

whether it is the aim to maintain the material soft or to hasten thehardening of the material. In either case it will be noted that thefluidcontacts with the material. As previously stated it is the aim toeliminate the. perforations when taking impressions with plaster ofParis and in this instance cold water is used for retarding thehardening of the plaster, while hot water is used for hastening thehardening of the material.

As before stated the outer tray can be readily converted into a'hollowimpression tray by inserting the inner tray (which is anatomicallycurved or shaped) within the outer tray with the palatial surfaces ofboth trays conforming to each other, whereby the anterior and posteriorsupporting means may engage\and besubstantially hermeticallysealedautomatically upon the introduction of the impressionmaterial intothe completed tray.

In other words, the inner anatomically curved or shaped ridge followingand palate following plate or inner tray acts as a cover to the cavityof the outer tray, and provides the proper anatomical shape or form tothe cavity of the completed tray. It is practically hermetically sealedto the outer tray automatically upon the introduction of and properdistribution, working or shaping of the plastic impression material intothe completed tray.

The perforations or holes of the inner tray are used topermit the hot orcold water or other fluid to come in close contact with the impressionmaterial, such as beeswax, 'or modeling compound when introduced intothe water jacket, thus enabling the dental mechanic or operator to keepthe impression material at any desired degree of softness or plasticity.The operator is also enabled to fit the tray and its containedimpression material leisurel and properly to all parts of the mouth. henafter the tray and its material are properly placed, considerable timeis saved, and the operator can givemuch comfort to the patient byquickly cooling and hardenin the impression material by introducin" a owof water cooled to any degree desired, thereby also eliminating greatlythe possibility of bending or changing the form or proper shape of theimpression when removing the impression from the mouth.

In Fig. 1 the inner tray has the shoulder 21 which rests upon the inneranterior rib 8'to support the inner tray. It is obvious that thisshoulder 21 can be eliminated and in its stead a groove-21 can beemployed as in Figs. 4 and 5.. In this way, the groove will not onlysupport the inner tray, but will .also hold the-inner tray down,particularly after the posterior edge of the inner tray is in engagementwith the ledge of the posterior edge of the outer tray and especiallywhen the side flangesof the inner tray are sealed in contact with theflanges of the outer tray. Furthermore, the apertures of the inner trayare also formed in the flanges of the inner tray so as to permit thecooling sertible fluid to contact with the impression material at theflanges of the inner tray.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and usefulis r 1. In an impression device, inner and outer impression trays, theformer being inpalatal surface, and the posterior portion of the palatalsurface and the inner surface of theanterior flange having a posteriorledge and anterior rib for the support of an inner impression tray, theinner impression tray comprising a bottom or palatal surface and sideand anterior flanges, conforming to the palatal surface and flanges ofthe former tray, the posterior edge of the palatal surface of the innertray adapted to engage the ledge, the anterior flange of'th'e inner travhaving an anterior shoulder engageable with i said rib.

3. As an article of manufacture, an inner tray comprising a bottom orpalatal surface,

gradually curvingw side and anterior flanges or merging into the palatalsurface, the pos terior edge of the palatal surface and the anandremovably supported within the terior flanges being adapted to engagesup porting means of an outer tray, to support said inner tray with itspalatal surface spaced with the palatal surface of the outer tray, thebottom of the inner tray having perforations. I

4. As an article of" manufacture, an outer impression tray comprising apalatal surface or bottom, side and anterior flanges gradually curvingor merging into the bottom or palatal surface, said anterior flangehaving means for the support of the anterior portion of an innerimpression tray, the posterior portion of the palatal surface havingmeans merging and blending off into the side flanges and adapted tosupport the posterior portion of an inner impression tray.

5. As an article of manufacture, a dental outer impression trays, theformer being insertible and removably supported within the latter, saidinner and outer trays having marginal spaced walls rising from thepalatal and anterior portions, means for "supporting the inner trayWithin the outer portion of the palatal tray, the. posterior tray andthe marginal surface of the inner impression device comprising inner andedge of the wall of the inner tray being ofl"- set from and within theterior portion of the outer tray and the edge of the wall of the outertray, whereby the impression material contained in the inner tray mayoverlie and seal the edge of the wall of the inner tray and the edge ofthe posterior portion wall and posterior portion of the outer tray.

In testimony whereof I hereunto" aflix my signature. I

THOMAS HERBERT VEALE.

edge of .the posof the inner tray to the

